


handrail

by thefishingline



Series: NoDay [2]
Category: OCs - Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Jealousy, M/M, NoDay v1, Tsundere
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 18:12:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13393440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefishingline/pseuds/thefishingline
Summary: There was something about the fluttery…coquettishway she looked over at them that twisted a cold knot in his stomach.Would Nolan find her pretty?





	handrail

Her eyes were wide, a smoky hazel framed by thick, long lashes. She had a pretty heart-shaped face, elegant cheekbones, flawless skin and not a freckle or scar in sight, Day noted glumly.

He eyed her from where he stood across the train; this pretty girl in school uniform. She’d been sneaking glances at them ever since they boarded the train. Well, Day felt his stomach twinge uncomfortably, at  _Nolan_ rather. There was something about the fluttery… _coquettish_  way she looked over at them that twisted a cold knot in his stomach.

_Would Nolan find her pretty?_

It lodged in his throat, this bitter-hard lump of what he vaguely recognised as jealousy. He hated this feeling. Day swallowed around it, biting his lip and refusing to let it take precedence over him.

His gaze flitted over to Nolan’s hand, dangling casually along his side. His fingers were long and relaxed and Day wanted to thread his fingers between the spaces. Say,  _“He’s mine, back off.”_

She was looking again, this time pausing to exchange glances with the girl beside her and the pair giggled. Day’s face burned. It was as if they knew what he was thinking.

Not everyone found Nolan appealing with his unsmiling eyes and inimical scowl. Some (many) might say he was intimidating and hard to approach. Both of which were true. But there was an alluring intensity to those deep-set eyes and an appeal to his enigmatic aloofness. There was an attractive sort of roughness about him and Day was all too familiar with it. And if they knew the awkward gentle heart beneath the gruffness, oh he wouldn’t stand a chance.

The train lurched to a stop and Day pitched forward with a startled yell, arms flailing. He squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for his ungraceful decent when a strong grip caught his wrist.

“Are you okay?” Nolan’s eyes were wide and alarmed, a twinge of exasperation in his voice. “Honestly, you’ve got to be more careful. What if I wasn’t here to catch you, stupid?”

Day grasped at Nolan’s arm with his other hand, trying to steady himself. “I’m not stupid,” he protested, acutely aware of Nolan’s warm hand still on his wrist.

Nolan heaved a dramatic sign and frowned at Day. “You act like it’s your first time taking the train. I know you’re clumsy and you’re used to falling over things all the time, but you should at least hold on to something.”

 Day laughed sheepishly. “What? Like you?”

The words slipped out without much forethought and Day’s eyes widened.  _Wait, no!_

Nolan startled, clearly not expecting that. He stared at Day with an expression that he couldn’t quite place, inscrutable emotion smouldering behind his amber eyes. Day felt his breath catch in his throat, wondering if he’d overstepped. It was strange between them these days, the line between their friendship and something else seemed to blur into uncertain territory. He didn’t know what to make of it, but it made his heart beat fast against his chest.

“Nolan?” Day asked hesitantly. The silence was making him squirm under his skin.

Nolan blinked and let go of Day’s wrist, not realising he was still holding on. Day tried to ignore the pang of hurt and wondered if it was a cue for him to let go too.

“You can hold onto me if you want,” Nolan said abruptly, breaking his gaze to stare out the windows instead. “Don’t want you to crack your skull or anything.” He could be imagining it, but Nolan’s face seemed redder than before.

The sudden swelling of emotion in his chest caught him off guard, like effervescent bubbles fizzing with light. Day fought back his grin. Really, he had no reason to feel this happy.

Wordlessly, he adjusted his grip so that his hand rested snugly in the crook of Nolan’s muscled arm.

“Um.” He peeked up shyly at Nolan, who was decidedly still Not Looking At Him. “Thanks for catching me.”

His face was definitely growing redder. “Hm.”

Across the other side of the train, the girls were giggling again.

**Author's Note:**

> Day is an unreliable narrator ('muscled' arm lol). It's meant be open to interpretation, but in actuality the girls were probably shipping them. Nolan used to call Day names to make himself sound rougher tougher. ...so mean. I can't imagine him ever doing that now. He's so ashamed of his teen self. Tsun Nolan back at full force.


End file.
